I note that several correspondents have written to these columns in support of liberal studies in schools saying it enhances students' political awareness.
Enhancing that awareness did not feature as an educational goal in the Education Commission's 2000 report proposing curriculum reform, nor in subsequent reports detailing curriculum changes and how they would be implemented.
I agree that encouraging livelier discussions in the classroom is good, but teachers should aim to do this with all subjects, not just liberal studies.
There cannot be a true understanding of the nature of politics in our society without objective analysis of data and statistics and appreciation of different schools of political theory.
So-called "political" discussions in classroom serve little educational purpose if the objective is merely to express dissatisfaction over the government's performance.
If the rough behaviour of the young people involved in the recent anti-parallel trade protests is anything to go by, some of our youth might have paid a lot of attention to current affairs, but have failed in minimum standards of respect and courtesy towards other people.
